Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American media mogul and philanthropist. He is best known for founding TBS and CNN, and his $1 billion pledge to the United Nations donated through his United Nations Foundation. Turner's penchant for making controversial statements has earned him the nickname "The Mouth of the South."

Turner's media empire began with his father's billboard business which he took over at the age of 24 after his father's suicide. Purchase of an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 began the assemblage of the Turner Broadcasting System. His Cable News Network revolutionized news media, coming to the fore covering the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 and the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Turner was also in the news for his much publicized marriage to Jane Fonda as well as their subsequent divorce.